Territorial vulnerability analysis: the Environmental Risk Management Systems

Transcription

1 Territorial vulnerability analysis: the Environmental Risk Management Systems C. Baldi¹, M. Martelli 2 & M. C. Treu 2 1 Best, 2 DiAP, Politecnico di Milano, Italia Abstract This is the third of three papers presented by the Politecnico di Milano. The papers are focused on some aspects of the European research project QUATER ( QUARTER TERritorial QUAlity, territorial risk management systems of municipality, project INTERREG IIIB MEDOC, research group of Politecnico di Milano coordinated by Maria Cristina Treu). The research project is aimed at the development of a quality system for the territorial risk mitigation (natural and anthropogenic risks referred to the municipal context). This paper presents the Environmental Risk Management System procedure proposed by the research group. It refers to the OHSAS 18001:99 certification, this last instrument permits one to link the environmental protection issues to the safety issues, and it also permits one to achieve the integration aims between the Environmental Management System (EMS) and the territorial risk analysis (instruments both referred to the territorial quality improvement process and plans). The main advantages of the EMS implementation in the Municipal government decision making/management process are: the improvement of the territorial risk culture; the definition of a basic knowledge of the territorial data geographically referenced; improvement of the involvement and the cooperation among stakeholders; constant verification of impacts due to the planning decision; a proactive approach to the environmental issue; the implementation of policies supporting preventive actions (territorial risk prevention and mitigation, emergency management). Keywords: Environmental Management System, territorial risks (natural and anthropogenic), voluntary certification, OHSAS 18001:99, constant improvement, environmental performance, GIS, indicators.

2 748 Risk Analysis IV 1 Introduction The relevance of the environment protection has been growing inside the definition of European and worldwide politics. The integration process between environmental issues targets and market mechanisms needs a cultural change towards a larger involvement of the entrepreneurial world, the Public Administration, the citizens and all the local and territorial stakeholders. In order to work towards these goals, the law and restrain bylaws have to be integrated with new tools. New voluntary instruments have been introduced with the aim of constantly improving the environmental performance and improving responsibility and dialogue between institutions and citizens. We are facing the growth and affirmation of voluntary Certifications, as Emas II (Environmental Management and Audit Scheme) or the new standard OHSAS 18001:99 (Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series). These tools apply to all organizations (private, public administration or any subject endowed with organizational autonomy) that aim at introducing wider environmental and safety targets within their decision making process. Basing on specific OHSAS 18001:99 principles, the Politecnico of Milano has developed a method, which integrates the Environmental Management System (EMS) and the risks assessment. This method applies to municipal level and refers to the risks that characterise the target area. The certification OHSAS 18001:99 (chosen by Politecnico of Milan) represents an excellent instrument of integration between environmental protection and safety, in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the organization policies. The certification OHSAS 18001:99 allows one to systematically identify the risk and environmental critical aspects. This also helps to define a response system, finalised to safety management, and to improve the performance of the organization (in our case a Public Administration). The realization of an Environmental Management System (EMS), allows one to obtain the official acknowledgment of standard fulfilment. In this research project, the Environmental Management System (EMS) methodology has been applied to three cases studies; the three cases studies are the Municipality of Seriate (BG), Toscolano Maderno (BS), Lainate (MI). 2 Environmental Management System for municipality safety The research QUATER is focused on the definition of a response system for territorial risk mitigation. This specific research project proposes a method for the implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS) and the prevention/mitigation of the risks which affect the territory. The aim of the research is to develop instruments which can support Public Administrations through territorial decision making process, which can integrate

3 Risk Analysis IV 749 emergency measures and prevention strategies and combining planning programs and action instruments. The Environmental Management System (EMS) outputs proposed by QUATER project are: - guidelines for the definition of short and long term government policies; - guidelines for the management of emergencies (Municipal/Civil Protection Emergency Plans); - guidelines for information and communication campaigns addressed to the population (particularly school population); - guidelines for planning measures (delocalization of settlements located in high risk areas; re-qualification of areas through program agreements and integrated programs of participation). All the guidelines proposed are referred to the municipal territorial analysis, and constitute the ground principles of the Environmental Management System (consolidated and active). Figure 1: Short and long term guidelines. The Environmental Management System (EMS) approach introduces the conditions for a deeper involvement of the Public Administration, sharing the motivations and participating to the process that leads to the certification. The first step of the Environmental Management System (EMS) proposed by QUATER research project is the context analysis. The analysis can be useful to support other municipal policies: - the land use decision making process (short and long period actions); - the localisation criteria of the various settlement projects; - the implementation of territorial knowledge (information/data).

4 750 Risk Analysis IV The data information system would be continuously revisited and improved, particularly in relation to territorial risks aspects. The EMS has been implemented at municipal level. The following goals have been achieved: promoting and sustaining a new environmental culture, shared by all the administration sectors. This culture identifies the environmental protection not with a constrain approach, but with an incentive approach. According to this cultural approach it s possible to look at hazardous events as circumstances (to learn to live with). To obtain this results it is necessary to implement an adequate preventive actions; giving the user of these instrument a wider freedom of action to simplify the short/long period planning strategies; introducing cooperation and communication between stakeholders (Public Administration, private companies, city, industries, etc.). The specific QUATER purposes, according to standard OHSAS 18001:99, are: implementing, maintaining and continually improving the Environmental risks Management System, to reduce as much as possible the risks for the people (since risk zero does not exist!); promoting the certification/registration process, to demonstrate the conformity to the norm in an official way, and therefore improving the image and the credibility of the same municipality. The method developed by the research project QUATER describes and assesses, the process that permits to constantly gain the desired performances in relation to the functional, environmental and safety issues. To gain these performances the research project QUATER has elaborated/worked out the necessary documents for the certification of the territorial risk management activities. The documents need to fulfil to the OHSAS 18001:99 certification standards. They consist of management procedures, operational procedures, procedure manual, instructions (directions), technical appendix. The territory is a complex system, it is the result of a complex relation between the natural rural and settlement systems. This complexity has required an integration effort among different disciplines (planning, chemical engineering, hydraulic engineering, building, etc.) to define a common research framework and language. The research project QUATER has identified a system of indicators the indicators are reliable and representative of the analysed phenomena and able to organise the informative system (supporting the Environmental Management System). These indicators depict the initial state of the analysed phenomena and the subsequent changes over time. The indicators system permits to verify the targets achievement during the certification process and any deviation encountered.

5 Risk Analysis IV 751 This systematic audit needs continuous adjustments of the Environmental Management System and the definition of mitigation guidelines and measures. The certification process requires a constant improvement approach. Due to this aim, every step process has to be characterized by the identifications of the improvement targets. The targets have to be defined and specified, and verified before taking any further step (figure 2). purpose verification INITIAL MEASURE verification purpose 1 purpose verification 2 PURPOSE MEASURE verification 1 purpose 2 INITIAL CONDITION SHORT PERIOD LONG PERIOD PURPOSE CONDITION Figure 2: The safety targets: definition and verify steps framework. 3 The Environmental Management System and the Geographic Information Systems Monitoring is an instrument that gives larger advantages to the Environmental Management System. Monitoring permits to gain a planned and integrated management of the territorial risks. In the research QUATER method the audit has been conceived as an examination/check of Environmental Management System, the environmental system management functioning and the gained results. The examination has the aim of verifying the correspondence and the adequacy of the process in relation to the targets, programs and the defined indicators. The audit is supported by Geographic Information Systems, that permit to reference geographically the information data obtained by the territorial analysis. The GIS permits to manage the informational data supporting the certification process, and it permits to organise the framework supporting also the territorial informational data of the territorial local government. The targets and process assessment cannot be referred only to the local level, but it requires to be supported and combined in relation to a regional scale analysis.

6 752 Risk Analysis IV The research project QUATER has underlined the importance of the EMS implementation to gain the territorial risks management. The EMS implementation requires a relevant involvement of the economical, human and technical resources. The long-term results (gained through the EMS implementation) are the decrease of the hazardous/extreme events effects (the economical advantages and the reduction of emergency interventions and damages) and the improvement of the safety and the territorial quality. To gain an EMS properly/adequately it is necessary that the EMS is referred to the territorial characteristics of the context. References [1] Salter L. et al., Mandated science. Science and scientists in the making of standards. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht-Boston-London, [2] Occupational health and safety management systems. OHSAS 18001, British Standards Institution, [3] Occupational health and safety management systems. Guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18002, British Standards Institution, [4] Reg. CE 761/2001, Environmental Management and Audit Scheme [5] OHSAS 18001:1999 Amendment 1:2002, Specification BSI Reference: amendment 14223, British Standard Institution, 2002.